Tag Archive for job issues

What Is Information Overload?

November 6, 2023 John Uncategorized No comments

banner for information overload

Information is an indispensable part of life. The problems show up when there’s way too much of it.

If it’s time to lighten up a bit then think about these GenuLines pointers and do some offloading.

What Is Information Overload?

Have you ever started something new – a new job, a new sport, even a new game and you’re trying to learn the information and it feels like your brain might explode? That’s an exaggerated symptom of information overload.

But, most people are experiencing it daily from normal life due to fast access to information via the internet.

information overload books

 

Information overload can cause the following symptoms:
Headache
Stress
Moodiness
Overweight
Cardiovascular issues
And more…

 

 

Plus, often it can cause problems in interpersonal relationships and work relationships. The reason is that most information overload is a choice you make.

You choose to be on social media all day; you choose to watch every single news station and every single pundit on TV talk about whatever is the topic of the day.

It’s Like Drinking Water from a Fire Hydrant

Anytime you want to learn something, it’s tempting to start gathering tons of information. And due to the net, it’s easy to get drawn down into the rabbit hole of unending information.

It becomes hard to determine what information is good and what information is bad.

It Leads to Poor Information Filtering

When you’re bombarded with so much information, your brain can’t filter it properly. Your brain does something called twigging, which means that instead of filtering information in terms of importance it just generalizes all information as being the same.

This is terrible for decision making.

It Leads to Bad Choices

If you can’t properly filter information to determine what is true, what is right and what is wrong, you’ll have a hard time making the right choices. The information overload causes you to choose wrongly on any number of issues, because with so much noise going on you can’t determine what is right.

It Harms Your Relationships

Information overload can harm your relationships. If you’re always reading your smartphone, looking at social media and not being present in your life, it can hurt intimacy.

If your partner and friends are complaining, take heed.

It Leads to Black and White Thinking

The world is not black and white. The world is colorful, black, white, gray and everything in between and more.

The same can be said for a lot of issues. There are very few issues that are either right or wrong, black or white.

If you have too much information at your fingertips and are rating everything the same, it’s easy to see things as black and white, which can make it hard to negotiate a happy life and successful business.

It Can Lead to Mental Issues Like Depression

When you get to the point of information overload, a lot of people experience mental problems such as short-term memory issues and even depression. If you find that you’re just feeling mixed up a lot, forget appointments and aren’t doing your best at home or work, consider information overload as a potential culprit.

Information overload can even lead to tragedy when texting mixes with driving.

Who knows how much money is lost in overall productivity due to information overload.. You can do your part by trying to limit information overload for yourself and your family.

You can also encourage co-workers and employees to avoid multitasking and focus training on smaller topics rather than broad ones.

JohnK 11-6-2023
chiforyourself.com

stick man hears about information Overheard:  “…a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention…”

~Herbert A. Simon
 

 

disclaimer for inforrmaton

Fear Setting – How to Remove Your Fear of Failure

July 17, 2023 John Uncategorized No comments

Your fear of failure could be holding you back. So what should you do?

Today GenuLines offers some ideas that turn the tables on fear and make it serve you.

Fear Setting – How to Remove Your Fear of Failure

Many of us have an innate fear of failure. We say that if we let things go wrong, we won’t have the means to carry on.

But real success actually requires failure.

And that’s why the world’s most successful people are actually not at all afraid of failing. They’re quite happy to put themselves out on a limb taking regular risks.

 

So how do you remove a fear of failure?

What is Fear Setting?

One option is to try fear setting. This is a technique that was first popularized by Tim Ferris in his book The Four Hour Workweek.

The general idea is to ‘set’ your fears in the same way that you would ‘set’ your goals.

This way you turn those abstract and vague fears into things that are more concrete and real. To do this, make a list of those fears and contingencies.

Planning on trying something new? Then write down everything that could go wrong and why you’re afraid of it.

Next, write down all the ways you might deal with those things going wrong. And write down how likely each of those things is to go wrong in the first place.

On the face of it, that might sound like it would make matters worse but in fact the opposite is true. That’s because, writing down your fears and making them ‘real’ often robs them of their power.

More so when you have a plan in place for how you would deal with them. And you realize that they’re actually quite unlikely to be a problem in the first place.

An Example

If you were thinking of finding a new job you might have the following fears:

You will:

*lose your current job and end up with no money
*not enjoy your new job
*end up leaving your family without a steady income

But how likely are each of these things and how could you make them less of a problem? For instance, could you not survive on savings for a little while?

Would you not be able to get help from parents if it came down to it? Couldn’t you look for work without leaving your current job?

And isn’t it quite likely that you’d actually be able to get work back with your old employer if things went wrong?

The fears tend to be somewhat unfounded. Fear setting allows us to see that and as a result makes things a lot less scary.

JohnK 7-17-2023
chiforyourself.com

stick man hears about fearOverheard: “There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them”

~Andre Gide

 

 

disclaimer for fear

Why Mental Focus Is Crucial For Success

October 18, 2021 John Uncategorized No comments

Focus can become a casualty during times like these we’re living in. Important things can fall through the cracks. 

So with that said GenuLines reminds you that focus is key to getting the results you want in life. 

Why Mental Focus Is Crucial For Success

Mental focus is one of the most important skills when it comes to success in any area of your life. To focus means to concentrate on a particular task or problem for a period of time.
 
picture of brain focus
 
 
It’s something you can get better at with practice. For now, let’s look at exactly why mental focus is crucial for success and how it can help you get things done.
 
Focus Keeps Distractions At Bay
Distractions are all around us. You sit down at your desk and end up checking email.
 
You browse through Facebook. Or you get lost on YouTube watching video after video.
 
We get distracted by new projects. Or things that need to be taken care of around the house or the office, and of course by family members and coworkers.
 
With all these distractions it’s a wonder we get anything done. There’s always something else that demands our attention, or a fun new project we’d rather be working on.
 
This is where your focus can make a huge difference and help you get things done. Focus is like a pair of blinders.
 
It helps you concentrate on the task at hand until it’s done.
 
Focus Keeps You From Making Mistakes
You make fewer mistakes when you’re not always distracted. You give full attention to whatever you’re working on.
 
The mistakes come when you’re not engaged and immersed in the task you’re working on.
 
To turn this around, concentrate on your work. If you do make mistakes you’re more likely to catch and fix them.
 
The end result is a better quality product, no matter what you’re working on.
 
Focus Helps You Get More Done Faster
Have you ever worked on a tight deadline? Let’s say you have to finish a report or write a blog post before you can head out to lunch to meet a friend.
 
You become dialed in (thanks to that looming deadline). Now tasks that would usually take you half a day you’re doing in 30 minutes.
 
Best of all, the end result is often better than your usual work. Now you’re focused and are getting into the flow.
 
And things seem to come together with almost no effort.
 
JohnK 10-18-2021
 
Stick figure hears about focusOverheard: “If you want to live a long life, focus on making contributions.”
                              ~Hans Selye
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer about focus
 

Should You Take a Chance On Finding a New Career?

February 26, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

Your career takes up a big slice of your life. It informs many of the decisions you make along your path. 

Today GenuLines helps you consider whether it’s time for a change of direction.

(you can listen to the article by clicking on the player below or scroll down to read it)

 


 

banner to help find one's career

____________________

Should You Take a Chance On Finding a New Career?

When I was a kid we looked for jobs right out of high school or college. And we usually stayed with that same job for as long as we could.
 
Finding work automatically meant we were doing the right work.
 
Those of us who questioned what we were doing got an earful. Criticism came from friends, neighbors, and especially family.
 
You might be in a similar situation and disillusioned with your career. It just doesn’t seem to be what you thought it would be.
 
Change gonna come
You’ve thought about changing careers, but that sounds a lot like starting over.
It’s scary, especially if you’ve been in a certain career for several years, or you’re older.
 
Hey, you’re earning a decent salary and you’re even climbing the “corporate ladder.” Leaving means you’ll have to work for less money and no seniority!
 
You think to yourself “what if this affects the people in my life?”
Breaking it down
Sometimes, getting out of a bad situation is enough to overcome a salary hit. You can make money online, either by selling or working for others.
 
Being at a physical location is no longer necessary if you’re looking to make extra money.
 
The second factor with a lack of experience is the newness of it all. This can be exciting as well as scary.
 
Think back to when you first started in your original career. Any new achievement put you on top of the world.
 
The third factor concerns the lack of seniority. Remind yourself that you’ve got job and life experience that you bring to the table.
 
Any management experience that you have can work in your favor, too. And your age brings wisdom you can draw on in adverse situations.
 
Staying in a career that you’ve grown tired of can make you bitter and take years off your life. If you’ve thought about taking a chance on starting a new career, remember that many others have done it.
 
And they’ve made it work.
 
JohnK 2-26-2020
chiforyourself.com home
 
stick figure man looks for a careerOverheard: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle”
                                                      ~Steve Jobs
 
 
 
 
Article photo by kate.sade on Unsplash

 

 

 

disclaimer about your career

How to Handle Being Laid Off

July 9, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
Being laid off sucks! As a broadcaster for many years, I experienced this over and over again.
 
Read on for the GenuLines look at ways to deal with layoffs.
 
 
call to action for being laid off
 

How to Handle Being Laid Off

You wake up every day and think about what you’ll need to do when you get to work. Once you get there you feel overwhelmed, but you know it’s good to have a job that pays the bills.
 
man laid offThis time, your boss calls you and several other coworkers into a conference room. A Human Resources person is at the meeting, too.
 
Then, your boss gives you the news that you’re losing your job.
 
 
 
 
Image by www_slon_pics from Pixabay
 
Your first thoughts are how are you going to pay the bills? Do you have enough money to cover your expenses for the next several months?
 
Where will I find a new job?
 
Even when you find something, it could take months before you end up starting it.
 
Don’t panic
Losing your job is a blow. But, it’s not the end of the world.
 
You’ll find something.
 
Or you may feel the urge to start an online business. It’s never been easier or cheaper to get something going.
 
Of course, taking that route isn’t an instant path to riches. It still takes work.
 
Don’t spend too much time on what happened with your job. Instead, focus on how you’re going to rectify the situation.
 
That focuses your energy and lessens the chance of having gaps in your work history.
 
Avoid crutches
Getting fired moves some people toward drugs and alcohol. It’s easy to get hooked, and once you do, it’s challenging to overcome the situation.
 
It could lead to you postponing your job search. Worse, you will likely alienate your family and friends.
 
Contrary to popular belief, alcohol is a depressant. If you’re pessimistic about your situation, it’ll drag you down even more.
 
Cut back on spending. Don’t rack up credit card balances that can reach unmanageable levels.
 
If you’ve saved some money for emergencies, use it instead of hitting up the credit.
 
If you find yourself strapped for cash, make sure you pay your mortgage or rent before other bills. You don’t want the bank hounding you or foreclosing on your property.
 
You can negotiate the payment terms on other bills.
 
JohnK 7-9-2019
 
stick figure is laid offOverheard: “Keep doing some kind of work, that the devil may always find you employed”                                                      
                                                ~St. Jerome
 
 
 
 
 
disclaimer to deal with being laid off
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Do You Know Your Optimal Routine Zone?

April 23, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments
Do you have a favorite time of day to do your work? Not everyone’s a “rise and shine” thinking dynamo.
 
Today GenuLines looks at different peak productivity times. Let’s see where you might fit into one of them.
 
banner helps find zone
 

Do You Know Your Optimal Routine Zone?

People have certain times of the day when they do their best work. They get more done and are more focused.
 
Some do better in the mornings. Others in the afternoons.
 
 
relaxing in the zoneThen there are the night owls, who can produce the most during the later hours. These are their optimal routine zones.
 
What is your optimal routine zone? Are you a morning person or do you cringe at the thought of getting up early?
 
 
 
Do you have vampire blood that lets you do your best work at night?
 
Match up with the zone
Whatever you find to be your optimal routine zone, set your tasks to work during these times. Do as much of your work as possible during this optimal zone.
 
Structure your day around it.
 
Working during your optimal time doesn’t mean you do nothing when you’re outside of those zones. Your boss will likely not take too kindly if you slack off.
 
Instead, you should use this time for activities that are not as taxing. These include making phone calls and other non-stressful activities.
 
Sometimes, you’ll have no choice but to do more of the heavy lifting during your “off times.” If this happens, you’ll have to make the best of it.
 
Zone out
Another problem is that you may be working in a job that does not coincide with your optimal zones. That’s a tough one. 
 
You may want to adjust or to move on to opportunities where you can work during your optimal times.
 
If your job involves being creative, this concept of optimal zones is going to work in your favor. For instance, if you are a writer, try to do most of your writing during these times.
 
You can use the other times to answer emails, post on social media, or check out forums related to your writing. If you’re writing for a blog, try writing several posts in your zone. 
 
Schedule them as if you’ve written one per day, etc.
 
Increasing your productivity is knowing your advantages. Find your optimal work zones and use them effectively. 
 
This way you’ll increase your productivity. Your manager will notice this, and it could help you when asking for a raise or getting a promotion.
 
It will also give you the satisfaction of a more fulfilling job.
 
JohnK 4-23-2019
 
 
stick figure hears about zoneOverheard: “It’s a hard thing to leave any deeply routine life, even if you hate it.”
 
                                          ~John Steinbeck, East of Eden
 
 
 
 
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